Red Wing Community News

10/02/2026

RED WING - Borealis hits 500,000 riders — what it means for Red Wing.

More than 500,000 passengers have now ridden the Amtrak Borealis between St. Paul and Chicago, and Red Wing has become one of the train’s busiest Minnesota stops.

The milestone, announced Sept. 28 by Amtrak and the transportation departments of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois, comes about 2½ years after the Borealis began daily service on May 21, 2024.

For Red Wing, the numbers are significant.

The city’s Amtrak station recorded 21,666 passenger boardings and alightings during federal fiscal year 2025, according to Amtrak. That was a record for the station in the modern Amtrak era and represented an increase of nearly 359% from the 4,735 passengers recorded during the comparable 11-month period before the Borealis began.

10/01/2026

Red Wing is scheduled to welcome the American Melody twice more this year as American Cruise Lines finishes its 2026 Upper Mississippi River season.

According to the Red Wing Marine Museum’s 2026 docking schedule, the 328-foot American Melody is scheduled to arrive at Levee Park at 6 a.m. Friday, Oct. 2, and remain in Red Wing until 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. Its final scheduled Red Wing visit of the year is Friday, Oct. 16, through Saturday, Oct. 17, with the same 6 a.m. arrival and 2:30 p.m. departure times.

The October 2 visit is part of an eight-night Upper Mississippi River cruise from St. Louis to St. Paul. The itinerary has the ship visiting Muscatine and Dubuque before reaching Winona on Oct. 1 and Red Wing on Oct. 2, before completing the trip in St. Paul on Oct. 3.

The Oct. 16 visit will be the final scheduled American Melody call at Red Wing for 2026. That cruise is a longer, 15-night voyage from St. Paul to New Orleans.

09/29/2026

RED WING — One month into the school year, Red Wing Public School district’s transportation problems have improved but have not disappeared.

The transition began with missed pickups, delayed buses, route confusion and communication problems. Nearly three weeks into the school year, parents were still reporting students waiting for buses for extended periods and buses passing waiting children. Superintendent Bob Jaszczak acknowledged that the change had caused “significant disruption” and said the district was “not yet where we need to be.”

The numbers illustrate the scope of the system:
* 72% of Red Wing students use district transportation every school day.
* 15–20 Tower View students remained without assigned routes during the first week.
* The district reported dozens of individual transportation problems being resolved in a single day during that first week.
* Routes for Colvill students were still not fully functional at that point.
* MTN’s voicemail system was overwhelmed by the volume of calls, while emails were not consistently being answered.

The problems remained significant enough that transportation became a formal Red Wing School Board business item on Sept. 22, more than three weeks after school started. The agenda specifically lists a “Transportation Update.”

The district says MTN is continuing to adjust routes, consolidate stops and improve communication. BusRight is being used to provide parents with route information and estimated pickup and drop-off times, although the district warns that times can still change as routes are adjusted.

The district now faces a straightforward test: Can it achieve the promised savings while providing reliable transportation to the students who rely on bus service?

09/16/2026

RED WING MN — Red Wing is mourning the sudden death of Mike Murphy, a longtime community volunteer and musician who spent more than five decades helping bring local events to life.

Murphy, 71, died Monday in a single-vehicle crash, according to reports published Tuesday.

Known affectionately as “Community Mike,” Murphy volunteered his time and sound-engineering skills for more than 55 years, assisting churches, nonprofit organizations, festivals, concerts and other community events throughout Red Wing. He was widely known for providing sound support at community events such as Church in the Park and the annual Memorial Day service at Bay Point Park.

Murphy was a U.S. Navy veteran and worked for more than 30 years at Xcel Energy before retiring.

His volunteer work extended to numerous organizations. Goodhue County 4-H said Murphy volunteered with its Arts-In program for approximately 25 years. Local businesses and organizations also remembered him as a familiar and friendly presence in the community.

Murphy was still actively serving the community just days before his death, including Red Wing’s Hispanic Heritage Festival on Saturday, where he helped ensure the Latin band’s performance went smoothly and even joined the performers in dancing.

A community gathering honoring Murphy is scheduled for Wednesday evening, September 16th, at Central Park from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The event will include music, stories, dancing and a shared meal.

09/15/2026

RED WING - Red Wing Public Schools has begun mailing residents information promoting a proposed 2026 school referendum, asking voters to approve a combined building bond and capital projects levy on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The district’s mailer, titled “Thoughtfully Investing in Students, Learning, and the Future of Red Wing Public Schools,” tells taxpayers the proposal would involve one ballot question with two components.

The first component is a building bond for improvements at Sunnyside Elementary School. District documents put the proposed bonding authority at $12.86 million. The project includes renovations and upgrades to building systems, classrooms, restrooms, accessibility, furniture and equipment, as well as space for early childhood programs. District documents also identify improvements at the high school as part of the proposed bonding authority.

The second component is a capital projects levy intended to provide ongoing funding for facilities, curriculum and technology, including computers, networks, software, instructional technology and educational materials.

The district’s mailer estimates the combined proposal would increase property taxes by approximately $9 per month for the average-value home, or about $108 per year. The actual impact would vary depending on a property’s taxable value.

The School Board approved placing the referendum on the ballot on July 21, 2026. The district says the proposal followed months of community engagement, including a community survey, childcare-provider listening sessions and an Early Childhood Community Advisory Committee.

If approved, the district says the project would modernize Sunnyside, create dedicated pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms, improve special-education and student-support areas, replace aging HVAC, mechanical and electrical systems, upgrade fire alarms and windows, and construct a new early-childhood playground.

09/11/2026

RED WING — Problems surrounding Red Wing Public Schools’ transition to a new school bus provider continued into the second week of the 2026-27 school year, prompting the School Board to receive a transportation update Tuesday.

The district scheduled a transportation update for its Sept. 8 workshop, along with a report covering the first three days of the school year. The meeting came after a difficult start to the district’s transition to Metropolitan Transportation Network, or MTN, as its new transportation provider.

Superintendent Bob Jaszczak previously acknowledged the severity of the problems, telling families the transition had been a “major mess” and that the district and MTN were working through the problems.

09/11/2026

09/10/2026

RED WING — Red Wing taxpayers could face a significant severance cost as the City Council considers a possible separation agreement involving Administrative Business Director Marshall Hallock, one of the city’s highest-paid employees.

The city’s 2026 Salary Compliance Notice lists the Administrative Business Director position at $174,470.40 annually. That places the position second among the three highest-paid city positions listed in the notice.

According to the proposed arrangement under consideration, Hallock would remain with the city through February in exchange for six months of severance. If an agreement is not reached, Hallock has indicated that he could leave sooner.

If six months of severance were calculated solely from the $174,470.40 annual base salary listed by the city, the potential six-month salary severance would be approximately $87,235.

The figure does not necessarily represent the total cost of a separation agreement. Depending on the final terms, additional costs could include accrued vacation or other leave, health insurance or other benefits, retirement contributions and other contractual compensation.

Most importantly, the $87,235 figure should not be characterized as an approved payment unless the City Council formally approves an agreement containing that amount.

09/10/2026

Red Wing City Council Considers Separation Agreement With Marshall Hallock

RED WING — The Red Wing City Council met Wednesday afternoon to consider a separation agreement with longtime city finance official Marshall Hallock that could keep him working for the city through February in exchange for six months of severance pay.

Under the proposed arrangement, Hallock would remain with the city until February and receive six months of severance following his departure. If the agreement is not reached, Hallock has indicated that he will leave his position this month.

The proposal effectively puts the city in the position of negotiating an extended transition period in exchange for enhanced severance. The arrangement could provide the city with additional time to transition Hallock’s responsibilities while giving Hallock greater financial security following his departure.

Hallock currently serves as the city’s Finance Director, according to the City of Red Wing’s staff directory.

The proposed agreement raises questions about the cost to taxpayers, the terms of Hallock’s continued employment through February, and what duties he would be expected to perform during the transition.

09/03/2026

RED WING — Transportation problems continued for Red Wing Public Schools for the second day of the 2026-27 school year, with families still reporting confusion over bus schedules, routes and pickup times following a troubled first day.

The problems come as the district begins its first school year with MTN as its transportation provider, replacing First Student. MTN took over Red Wing Public Schools’ bus transportation operation in July.

The district has acknowledged that bus schedules may change as routes are adjusted. Its transportation website tells families that pickup and drop-off times are estimates and “may shift slightly as routes are adjusted.” Families are also instructed to allow at least 15 minutes for late buses before contacting transportation officials.

For parents, however, the transition has meant more than minor timing changes. Confusion over which bus students should ride, pickup times and route information has continued into the second day of classes.

RWPS is using BusRight, a new bus-tracking system, to provide families with assigned routes, estimated pickup and drop-off times and transportation updates. The district says families should receive route information by email and through the BusRight parent app.